Ukrainian track and field athlete Victoria Tkachuk, the leader of the national team in the 400-meter hurdles, has secured a significant victory ahead of the year's main events. At the international competition in the Belgian city of Oudenaarde, the athlete won a bronze medal, posting her best result of the 2026 season.
The tournament in Oudenaarde served as proof for Victoria that she has fully regained her form. Over the 400-meter hurdles distance, she cleared the barriers in 55.23 seconds, finishing in third place overall. The race was won by the host country's representative, Belgian Paulien Cocquyt, who clocked 53.90 seconds. Second place went to German track and field athlete Aileen Demes, who finished in 54.67 seconds.
New Seasonal Personal Best
The result in Oudenaarde became Tkachuk's best performance of the current year. She managed to surpass her previous seasonal record of 55.42 seconds, which was set in May at the tournament in Savona, Italy. Furthermore, Victoria holds the highest result among Ukrainians on the flat 400-meter track (52.48 sec), which she posted earlier in Hengelo, Netherlands.
This success holds special significance, as the 2026 season became the 31-year-old athlete's first following a forced extended break. Due to serious injuries sustained at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, Tkachuk was forced to miss the entire 2025 year. Her return to the podium confirms the effectiveness of her rehabilitation work.
Birmingham and Olympic Ambitions
Victoria Tkachuk is an experienced track and field athlete with a rich resume. She is the silver medalist of the 2022 European Championships and a finalist of the Tokyo Olympic Games. The Ukrainian's personal best on the 400-meter hurdles is 53.76 seconds.
The next major event for the athlete will be the European Athletics Championships, which will take place from August 10 to 16 in Birmingham, UK. It was previously reported that the star of Ukrainian sports has already returned from a serious injury and is aiming to participate in the next Olympics, demonstrating high motivation to continue her career.
